Electrical connector

ABSTRACT

The subject matter herein is an electrical connector particularly adapted for mechanically holding two electrical wires to each other, wherein each wire has two electrical conductors. The electrical connector also electrically connects insulated ends of each of the electrical conductors of one wire to a like insulated end of electrical conductors of the other wire. The electrical connector includes a pair of electricallyconductive penetrator sleeves, each sleeve having a plurality of locks formed integral therewith. Each of the locks has a plurality of penetrator prongs extending inwardly of the respective sleeve. Each of the sleeves has one side open for receiving a portion of the electrical wire in the open side. A permanently deformable electrically conductive sheath receives each of the sleeves. Each sheath has an open side aligned with the open side of the sleeve. An insulator tube receives the pair of sheaths, with their respective sleeves mounted therein, and includes a separator for electrically insulating the sheaths from each other.

United States Patent 11 1 Allison 1 Feb. 25, 1975 1 1 ELECTRICALCONNECTOR 21 Appl. No.: 393,599

[52] US. Cl. 174/87, 339/97 C [51] Int. Cl. ..H0lr11/(18, H01r11/20 [58]Field of Search 174/84, 87, 88 R, 88 S, 174/90; 339/97-99, 223, 276;206/330, 460

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,602,831 7/1952 Levitt339/97 R 3,015,684 1/1962 Schneider 174/88 R 3,326,442 6/1967 Fattor174/87 3,372,227 3/1968 Allison 174/87 3,406,247 10/1968 Parsons 174/84C X 3,480,723 11/1969 Golden 174/88 R 3,573,713 4/1971 Enright et a1339/98 3,625,350 12/1971 Ray 339/97 C X 3,721,749 3/1973 Clabburn 174/88R 3,739,470 6/1973 Epp1er..... 174/84 C 3,766,514 10/1973 Kimm 339/99 RFOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 699,856 11/1953 Great Britain 339/99 R528,498 6/1955 ltaly 174/88 OTHER PU BLlCATlONS Kirschenman, WesternElectric Technical Digest No. 20, October 1970, page 39.

Primary ExaminerRoy D. Frazier Assistant ExaminerLawrence .1. StaabAttorney, Agent, or Firm-Anthony S. Zummer [57] ABSTRACT The subjectmatter herein is an electrical connector particularly adapted formechanically holding two electrical wires to each other, wherein eachwire has two electrical conductors. The electrical connector alsoelectrically connects insulated ends of each of the electricalconductors of one wire to a like insulated end of electrical conductorsof the other wire. The electrical connector includes a pair ofelectricallyconductive penetrator sleeves, each sleeve having aplurality of locks formed integral therewith. Each of the locks has aplurality of penetrator prongs extending inwardly of the respectivesleeve. Each of the sleeves has one side open for receiving a portion ofthe electrical wire in the open side. A permanently deformableelectrically conductive sheath receives each of the sleeves. Each sheathhas an open side aligned with the open side of the sleeve. An insulatortube receives the pair of sheaths, with their respective sleeves mountedtherein, and includes a separator for electrically insulating thesheaths from each other.

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Electrical connectorsof the type in which insulated wire is inserted into a tube havingprongs which penetrate the insulating material upon deformation of thetube to engage electrical conductors of the wire for simultaneouslymechanically and electrically connecting wires are well-known. Typicalof these electrical connectors are those taught in United States LettersPatent Nos. 2,283,061 and 3,372,227. As is evident from an inspection ofthe aforementioned patents, the electrical connectors are generally madeup of three basic parts, that is, a sleeve or tube, which has aplurality of prongs formed integral therewith, which prongs pass throughan insulating material and engage a conductor; a sheath, which receivesthe sleeve and is deformed with the sleeve and keeps the sleeve in itsdeformed state; and an insulator tube, surrounding the sheath.

Generally, the electrical connectors are made by stamping out thesleeves in the proper form and stamping the sheaths in their properform. The sleeves are assembled into their respective sheaths by anautomatic assembling machine. The sheath and assembled tube are placedinside a tube of insulating material, which is heated to heat-shrink theinsulator tube onto the sheath. The assembled connectors are then readyto receive wires for connecting the wires to each other.

The known electrical connectors are well-adapted for connecting a singlewire to another single wire. However, the known electrical connectorsare not capable ofjoining two wires, each of which has two electricalconductors.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The subject matter of the instant invention isan improved electrical connector of the general type in which a pair ofelectrical wires, each having a pair of electrical conductors, ispositioned in the connector; and the connector is then deformed toconnect electrically pairs of wires and simultaneously hold the pairs ofwires in mechanical connection.

The present invention provides a connector which has a single insulator.The insulator receives a pair of permanently deformable electricallyconductive sheaths. These sheaths have open sides, which open sides areadjaent to each other when mounted in the insulator. Positioned in eachof the sheaths is a penetrator sleeve, each sleeve also having an openside. The open sides of the penetrator sleeves are aligned with therespective open sides of the sheaths, so that pairs of wires may bepositioned in the sleeves and then held in the sleeves in a spacedrelationship after the sleeves are deformed.

Each of the sleeves has a plurality of penetrator locks, each of whichlocks includes four penetrator prongs. One ofthe prongs in each of thelocks is longer than the other prongs, so that each of the longer prongsis a holding prong for the lock. Each holding prong has a specificconstruction in that it has a rounded side adjacent to the end intowhich the wire is inserted. Thus, the insertion of wire is facilitatedwhile the holding prong also serves to hold the wire within the sleeveprior to deformation of the sleeve and the associated sheath.

The construction of the sleeve is such that it includes a flared mouth,which is resiliently engageable with a serration within its respectivesheath for holding the sleeve in its respective sheath.

It is therefore a principal object of the instant invention to providean electrical connector which may be used for quickly and convenientlymechanically and electrically connecting selected electrical conductorsin pairs of wires, which pairs of wires each have two electricalconductors.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an electricalconnector which has an improved construction for holding electricalwires prior to deformation of the electrical connector for permanentholding of the electrical wire.

It is still another object of this invention to provide an improvedconstruction for an electrical connector wherein electrical conductorsin the same wire are held in a spaced relationship while connected to anelectrical conductor of another wire.

It is a still further object of the herein-disclosed invention toprovide an improved construction for an electrical connector which maybe easily manufactured and assembled.

Other objects and uses of the instant invention will become readilyapparent to those skilled in the art upon a perusal of the followingspecification in light of the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational view ofan electrical connector embodying the present invention, shown with twoinsulated electrical wires positioned therein, each of which wires has apair of electrical conductors, portions of the electrical connectorbeing broken away in order to show better the interrelationship of thevarious parts of the connector;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on Line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 2, but showing theconnector in a deformed state wherein electrical wires are held in theconnector, with portions of insulation and other portions of theconnector broken away in order to show better the interrelationship ofthe various parts;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on Line 4--4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on Line 5-5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of a penetrator sleeve,which constitutes a portion of the instant electrical connector, showinga penetrator lock;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken on Line 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the electrical connector of FIG. 1,showing the general relationship of the various parts of the electricalconnector prior to assembly;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view, showing a penetrator sleeve positionedin its respective sheath;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of an insulator tube; and

FIG. 11 is a plan view, with portions broken away, of an electricalconnector supply unit, showing a plurality of electrical connectors ofFIG. I mounted upon a tape for easy handling in automatic assemblingmachines.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings,and especially to FIG. 1, an electrical connector generally indicated bynumeral 20 is shown therein, with a pair of conventional insulated wires22 and 24 positioned in the connector. The insulated wires are of thetype which have two electrical conductors in each wire. The electricalconnector 20 generally includes a pair of electrically conductivepenetrator sleeves 26 and 28 for receiving the wires 22 and 24. Thesleeves 26 and 28 are each held in permanently deformable electricallyconductive sheaths 30 and 32, respectively. An insulator tube 34receives and holds the sheaths 30 and 32.

As was mentioned above, the electrical wires 22 and 24 are conventionalin construction. The wire 22 includes a pair of electrical conductors 36and 38, which are covered by insulation 40 and 42, respectively. Theinsulation is connected by an integral web 44. The construction of thewire 24 is identical to the construction of wire 22. The wire 24includes a pair of electrical conductors 46 and 48, which are covered byinsulation 50 and 52, respectively. The insulation is connected by anintegral web 54.

The penetrator sleeves 26 and 28 are identical to each other; and onlysleeve 26 is disclosed in detail below. The penetrator sleeve 26includes a pair of elongated generally'flat sides 56 and 58, connectedby an integral bridge 60. The sides 56 and 58 have ears 62 and 64 formedintegral therewith. The ears 62 and 64 are in substantially the sameplane, and are spaced apart to define an opening 66 along the length ofthe sleeve and thereby provide an open side for the sleeve. The sleeve26 has an outwardly flared mouth 68 at one end, whichhas a lip 70forming the mouth. The sleeve also has an inwardly-beveled side 72 atits opposite end to facilitate insertion of the sleeve into itsrespective sheath.

The sleeve has a plurality of penetrator locks 74 formed in the sides'56and 58. The construction of the penetrator locks 74 is best shown inFIGS. 6 and 7. Each penetrator lock 74 includes four equiangularlyspaced penetrator prongs 76, 78, 80 and 82. All of the penetrator prongsare formed integral with their respective sides and extend inwardly ofthe sleeve substantially perpendicular to their respective side.

The penetrator prong 76 of each lock is a holding prong, and has alength greater than the remaining three prongs. The holding prong 76 ispositioned.adjacent to the mouth 68 of the sleeve relative to the otherthree penetrator prongs. The penetrator prong also has a rounded surface84 adjacent to the flared mouth 68. This rounded surface terminates in asharp point 86, and is so arranged that the wires may readily passinwardly past the holding prong; but are held in the sleeve againstremoval therefrom.

In this instance, the penetrator sleeve is a relatively thin piece ofphosphor bronze, which is wiped with tin. Any other suitable materialcan be used as is required in a particular application. The penetratorsleeve is formed by a stamping operation, and may be quickly andeconomically manufactured. The side walls are thin; and the penetratorprongs are also relatively thin to facilitate insertion into insulatingmaterial and into engagement with an electrical conductor of the wire.

The sheaths 30 and 32 are also identical to each other; and only sheath30 is described in detail below. The sheath 30 is formed of a singlepiece of red brass sheet material. The sheath 30 includes a pair ofelongated plates 88 and 90 which are joined by a generally C-shapedconnector plate 92, which is formed integral with the plates 88 and 90.Plate cars 94 and 96 are formed integral with the free longitudinaledges of plates 88 and 90. The ears 94 and 96 are in substantially thesame plane, and are spaced from each other to form an open side for thesheath. The sheath 30 has one end closed by lips 98 and 100, while theother end of the sheath is open. A plurality of serrations 102 areformed in the interior surface of the sheath adjacent to the open end.

The insulator tube 34 is a single piece of extruded heat-shrinkablematerial, such as polyethylene, though any other suitable material maybe used. The insulator tube includes a pair of opposed sides I04 and106, with generally opposed C-shaped sides 108 and joining the sides 104and 106 to define a continuous exterior surface, taking a generalcylindrical form. Ridges 112 and 114 are formed integral with sides I04and 106, respectively. The ridges 112 and 114 are equidistantly spacedfrom the sides 108 and 110. These ridges 112 and 114 provide aninsulator between the sheaths 30 and 32.

The penetrator sleeve 26 is stamped in the form generally shown in FIG.8. The flared mouth 68 provides a convenient means for aligning thesleeve in one direction when the penetrator sleeve is fed into anassembling machine. A penetrator sleeve is inserted into its respectivesheath 30 until the end of the sleeve having the flared mouth has thelip 70 in engagement with the serrations 102 on the sheath, therebylocking the sleeve into the sheath. A pair of sheaths, with the sleeves,are then loaded into the insulator tube. The entire assembly is heatedto heat-shrink the insulator tube 34 onto the sheaths, thereby holding apair of sheaths in the insulator tube.

The completed electrical connectors 20 are then delivered to a loadingmachine wherein the connectors are mounted between a pair of adhesivetapes 116 and 118. All ofthe electrical connectors are aligned, so thattheir open ends are all in the same direction. The electrical connectorsare parallel to each other; and the open ends are all on the same side.Thus, all of the sleeves are also aligned parallel to each other forreceipt of electrical wires. The electrical connector supply unit isthen mounted in-an automatic assembly machine for joining pairs ofelectrical wires, each of which pairs has two electrical conductors.

An electrical conductor 20 is positioned in an appropriate attitude toreceive two electrical wires 22 and 24. The wires are inserted in thesleeves 26 and 28, so that the electrical conductors of the two wiresare in their appropriate sleeves. The insertion of the wires into thesleeves is facilitated by virtue of the fact that the holding prongs 76are a rounded surface 84 to allow easy insertion of the wires. Theholding prongs also keep the wires in place. It should further be notedthat the ears 62 and 64 of the sleeves and the cars 94 and 96 of thesheaths serve to hold the insulated ends of the electrical conductors ofthe wires in an electrically seg regated attitude for each of the wires.As may be seen in FIG. 4, the electrical conductors 36 and 46 arepositioned in the sleeve 26; and the electrical conductors 38 and 48 arepositioned in the sleeve 28.

Once the wires are appropriately positioned, a force is applied toopposite sides of the connector so as to force the prongs of penetratorlocks 74 through the insulation and into contact with the electricalconductors to an attitude shown in FIGS. 3 and 5. it may be seen thatthe penetrator prongs engagethe electrical conductors, so thatelectrical conductors 36 and 46 are contacted by the prongs of sleeve 26while the electrical conductors 38 and 48 are contacted by the prongs ofsleeve 28. The sleeves provide an electrical connection between theirelectrical conductors. The respective sheaths also provide a conductivepath. Each of the sleeves is encased in its respective sheath; and thesheaths are electrically insulated from each other by the ridges 112 and114 of the insulator 34. Thus, the electrical conductors 36 and 46 areelectrically connected and mechanically held in the electricalconnector; and the electrical conductors 38 and 48 are electricallyconnected to each other and mechanically held in the electricalconnector.

Although a specific embodiment of the present invention has beendescribed in detail above, it is readily apparent that those skilled inthe art may make various modifications and changes in the constructionofthe connector described in detail above and may substitute materialsfor those disclosed herein without departing from the spirit and scopeof the present invention. It is to be expressly understood that theinstant invention is limited only by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical connector adapted for mechanically holding twoelectrical wires, each wire having two electrical conductors, and forelectrically connecting insulated ends of each of the electricalconductors of one wire to an electrical conductor of the other wire,including; a pair of electrically conductive penetrator sleeves, aplurality of penetrator locks formed integral in each of the penetratorsleeves, each of said penetrator locks including a plurality ofpenetrator prongs extending inwardly of its respective sleeve forpenetration through an insulating material on a wire and into engagementwith an electrical conductor of the wire to provide electricalconnection to the electrical conductor, each of said sleeves having anopen side, a pair of permanently deformable sheaths mateably andslideably receiving each of said electrically conductive penetratorsleeves, each of said sheaths having an open side alignable with theopen side of its respective sleeve, and an insulator tube receiving saidsheaths and holding the sheaths with the open sides of the sheathsfacing each other, said insulator tube having a separator positionablebetween the sheaths to insulate electrically the sheaths from oneanother.

2. An electrical connector adapted for mechanically holding twoelectrical wires, each wire having two electrical conductors, and forelectrically connecting insulated ends of each of the electricalconductors of one wire to an electrical conductor of the other wire asdefined in claim 1 wherein each of the sheaths has a plurality ofserrations at one end, each of the sleeves has a flared mouth at one endfor engagement with the serrations of the sheath to lock the sleeve intoits respec tive sheath.

3. An electrical connector adapted for mechanically holding twoelectrical wires, each wire having two electrical conductors, and forelectrically connecting insulated ends of each of the electricalconductors of one wire to an electrical conductor of the other wire asdefined in claim 2 wherein each of the plurality of penetrator prongsfor each of the locks includes a holding prong having a length greaterthan the other prongs, and each holding prong being positioned adjacentto the flared mouth relative to the other penetrator prongs in itsrespective lock.

4. An electrical connector adapted for mechanically holding twoelectrical wires, each wire having two electrical conductors, and forelectrically connecting insulated ends of each of the electricalconductors of one wire to an electrical conductor of the other wire asdefined in claim 1 wherein each sleeve includes a pair of holding earsforming a portion of its open side, and said holding ears beingsubstantially in the same plane to provide a grip for engagement with anelectrical wire between the two electrical conductors.

5. An electrical connector adapted for mechanically holding twoelectrical wires, each wire having two electrical conductors, and forelectrically connecting insulated ends of each of the electricalconductors of one wire to an electrical conductor of the other wire asdefined in claim 1 wherein each of the sheaths has a pair of holdingears in substantially the same plane on the side having the open side,and said holding ears being adapted for engagement with its electricalwire between its electrical conductor for holding the electrical wire.

6. An electrical connector adapted for mechanically holding twoelectrical wires, each wire having two electrical conductors, and forelectrically connecting insulated ends of each of the electricalconductors of one wire to an electrical conductor of the other wire asdefined in claim 1 wherein the separator for the insulator tube is apair of opposed ridges formed integral with opposite sides of the tubefor spacing apart and electrically insulating adjacent sheaths.

7. An electrical connector adapted for mechanically holding twoelectrical wires, each wire having two electrical conductors, and forelectrically connecting insulated ends of each of the electricalconductors of one wire to an electrical conductor of the other wire asdefined in claim 1 wherein each sleeve includes a pair of spaced holdingears forming a portion of its open side, said holding ears beingsubstantially in the same plane to provide a grip for engagement with anelectrical wire, and the separator for the insulator tube is a pair ofopposed ridges formed integral with opposite sides of the insulator tubefor spacing apart and electrically insulating adjacent sheaths.

8. An electrical connector adapted for mechanically holding twoelectrical wires, each wire having two electrical conductors, and forelectrically connecting insulated ends of each of the electricalconductors of one wire to an electrical conductor of the other wire asdefined in claim 1 wherein each of the sheaths has a pair of spacedholding ears in substantially the same plane on the side having the openside, said holding ears being adapted for engagement with an electricalwire for holding the electrical wire, and the separator for theinsulator tube is a pair of opposed ridges formed integral with oppositesides of the tube for spacing apart and electrically insulating adjacentsheaths.

9. An electrical connector adapted for mechanically holding twoelectrical wires, each wire having two electrical conductors, and forelectrically connecting insulated ends of each of the electricalconductors of one wire to an electrical conductor of the other wire asdefined in claim 1 wherein each sleeve includes a pair of spaced holdingears forming a portion of its open side, said holding ears beingsubstantially in the same plane to provide a grip for engagement with anelectrical wire, each of said sheaths having a pair of spaced sheathholding ears in substantially the same plane on the same side having theopen side, said sheath holding ears being adapted for engagement withthe electrical wire for holding the electrical wire, and the separatorfor the insulator tube being a pair of opposed ridges formed integralwith opposite sides of the tube for spacing apart and electricallyinsulating adjacent sheaths.

10. A supply unit for providing a plurality of oriented and selectivelyspaced electrical connectors, each connector adapted for mechanicallyholding two electrical wires; each wire having two electricalconductors, and each connector adapted for electrically connectingconductors of one wire to an electrical conductor of another wireincluding; an elongated strip; a plurality of electrical connectorsremovably mounted on said strip; each of said electrical connectorsbeing aligned with adjacent electrical connectors; and each of saidelectrical connectors having a pair of electrically conductivepenetrator sleeves for holding and engaging electrical connectors of anelectrical conductor, each of said sleeves having an open side, each ofthe penetrator sleeves including a plurality of penetrator locks formedintegral with its respective sleeve, each of said penetrator locksincluding a plurality of penetrator prongs extending inwardly of itsrespective sleeve for penetration through an insulating material on awire and into engagement with an electrical conductor of the wire toprovide electrical connection to the electrical conductor, a pair ofsheaths, each having an open side receiving one of said sleeves, each ofthe sheaths having its open side aligned-with the open side of itsrespective sleeve, each of the sheaths has a pair of spaced holding earsin substantially the same plane on the side having the open side, saidholding ears being adapted for engagement with an electrical wire forholding the electrical wire, each of the sheaths has a plurality ofserrations at one end, each of the sleeves has a flared mouth at one endfor engagement with the serrations of its respective sheath to lock thesleeve into its respective sheath, each of the plurality of penetratorprongs for each of the locks including a holding prong having a lengthgreater than the other prongs, each holding prong being positionedadjacent to the flared mouth relative to the other penetrator prongs inits respective lock, each sleeve includes a pair of sleeve holding earsforming a portion of its open side, said sleeve holding ears beingsubstantially in the same plane to provide a grip for engagement with anelectrical wire; and an insulator tube receiving and holding the sheathsand insulating the sheaths from each other, the insulator tube having apair of opposed ridges formed integral with opposite sides of the tubepositioned between and spacing apart and electrically insulatingadjacent sheaths.

1. An electrical connector adapted for mechanically holding twoelectrical wires, each wire having two electrical conductors, and forelectrically connecting insulated ends of each of the electricalconductors of one wire to an electrical conductor of the other wire,including; a pair of electrically conductive penetrator sleeves, aplurality of penetrator locks formed integral in each of the penetratorsleeves, each of said penetrator locks including a plurality ofpenetrator prongs extending inwardly of its respective sleeve forpenetration through an insulating material on a wire and into engagementwith an electrical conductor of the wire to provide electricalconnection to the electrical conductor, each of said sleeves having anopen side, a pair of permanently deformable sheaths mateably andslideably receiving each of said electrically conductive penetratorsleeves, each of said sheaths having an open side alignable with theopen side of its respective sleeve, and an insulator tube receiving saidsheaths and holding the sheaths with the open sides of the sheathsfacing each other, said insulator tube having a separator positionablebetween the sheaths to insulate electrically the sheaths from oneanother.
 2. An electrical connector adapted for mechanically holding twoelectrical wires, each wire having two electrical conductors, and forelectrically connecting insulated ends of each of the electricalconductors of one wire to an electrical conductor of the other wire asdefined in claim 1 wherein each of the sheaths has a plurality ofserrations at one end, each of the sleeves has a flared mouth at one endfor engagement with the serrations of the sheath to lock the sleeve intoits respective sheath.
 3. An electrical connector adapted formechanically holding two electrical wires, each wire having twoelectrical conductors, and for electrically connecting insulated ends ofeach of the electrical conductors of one wire to an electrical conductorof the other wire as defined in claim 2 wherein each of the plurality ofpenetrator prongs for each of the locks includes a holding prong havinga length greater than the other prongs, and each holding prong beingpositioned adjacent to the flared mouth relative to the other penetratorprongs in its respective lock.
 4. An electrical connector adapted formechanically holding two electrical wires, each wire having twoelectrical conductors, and for electrically connecting insulated ends ofeach of the electrical conductors of one wire to an electrical conductorof the other wire as defined in claim 1 wherein each sleeve includes apair of holding ears forming a portion of its open side, and saidholding ears being substantially in the same plane to provide a grip forengagement with an electrical wire between the two electricalconductors.
 5. An electrical connector adapted for mechanically holdingtwo electrical wires, each wire having two electrical conductors, andfor electrically connecting insulated ends of each of the electricalconductors of one wire to an electrical conductor of the other wire asdefined in claim 1 wherein each of the sheaths has a pair of holdingears in substantially the same plane on the side having the oPen side,and said holding ears being adapted for engagement with its electricalwire between its electrical conductor for holding the electrical wire.6. An electrical connector adapted for mechanically holding twoelectrical wires, each wire having two electrical conductors, and forelectrically connecting insulated ends of each of the electricalconductors of one wire to an electrical conductor of the other wire asdefined in claim 1 wherein the separator for the insulator tube is apair of opposed ridges formed integral with opposite sides of the tubefor spacing apart and electrically insulating adjacent sheaths.
 7. Anelectrical connector adapted for mechanically holding two electricalwires, each wire having two electrical conductors, and for electricallyconnecting insulated ends of each of the electrical conductors of onewire to an electrical conductor of the other wire as defined in claim 1wherein each sleeve includes a pair of spaced holding ears forming aportion of its open side, said holding ears being substantially in thesame plane to provide a grip for engagement with an electrical wire, andthe separator for the insulator tube is a pair of opposed ridges formedintegral with opposite sides of the insulator tube for spacing apart andelectrically insulating adjacent sheaths.
 8. An electrical connectoradapted for mechanically holding two electrical wires, each wire havingtwo electrical conductors, and for electrically connecting insulatedends of each of the electrical conductors of one wire to an electricalconductor of the other wire as defined in claim 1 wherein each of thesheaths has a pair of spaced holding ears in substantially the sameplane on the side having the open side, said holding ears being adaptedfor engagement with an electrical wire for holding the electrical wire,and the separator for the insulator tube is a pair of opposed ridgesformed integral with opposite sides of the tube for spacing apart andelectrically insulating adjacent sheaths.
 9. An electrical connectoradapted for mechanically holding two electrical wires, each wire havingtwo electrical conductors, and for electrically connecting insulatedends of each of the electrical conductors of one wire to an electricalconductor of the other wire as defined in claim 1 wherein each sleeveincludes a pair of spaced holding ears forming a portion of its openside, said holding ears being substantially in the same plane to providea grip for engagement with an electrical wire, each of said sheathshaving a pair of spaced sheath holding ears in substantially the sameplane on the same side having the open side, said sheath holding earsbeing adapted for engagement with the electrical wire for holding theelectrical wire, and the separator for the insulator tube being a pairof opposed ridges formed integral with opposite sides of the tube forspacing apart and electrically insulating adjacent sheaths.
 10. A supplyunit for providing a plurality of oriented and selectively spacedelectrical connectors, each connector adapted for mechanically holdingtwo electrical wires, each wire having two electrical conductors, andeach connector adapted for electrically connecting conductors of onewire to an electrical conductor of another wire including; an elongatedstrip; a plurality of electrical connectors removably mounted on saidstrip; each of said electrical connectors being aligned with adjacentelectrical connectors; and each of said electrical connectors having apair of electrically conductive penetrator sleeves for holding andengaging electrical connectors of an electrical conductor, each of saidsleeves having an open side, each of the penetrator sleeves including aplurality of penetrator locks formed integral with its respectivesleeve, each of said penetrator locks including a plurality ofpenetrator prongs extending inwardly of its respective sleeve forpenetration through an insulating material on a wire and into engagementwith an electrical conductor of the Wire to provide electricalconnection to the electrical conductor, a pair of sheaths, each havingan open side receiving one of said sleeves, each of the sheaths havingits open side aligned with the open side of its respective sleeve, eachof the sheaths has a pair of spaced holding ears in substantially thesame plane on the side having the open side, said holding ears beingadapted for engagement with an electrical wire for holding theelectrical wire, each of the sheaths has a plurality of serrations atone end, each of the sleeves has a flared mouth at one end forengagement with the serrations of its respective sheath to lock thesleeve into its respective sheath, each of the plurality of penetratorprongs for each of the locks including a holding prong having a lengthgreater than the other prongs, each holding prong being positionedadjacent to the flared mouth relative to the other penetrator prongs inits respective lock, each sleeve includes a pair of sleeve holding earsforming a portion of its open side, said sleeve holding ears beingsubstantially in the same plane to provide a grip for engagement with anelectrical wire; and an insulator tube receiving and holding the sheathsand insulating the sheaths from each other, the insulator tube having apair of opposed ridges formed integral with opposite sides of the tubepositioned between and spacing apart and electrically insulatingadjacent sheaths.